


leave me (hanging on the future)

by Steamcraft



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Gen, Light Angst, Magical Claudia Stilinski, POV Multiple, Time Travel, quick write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-27
Updated: 2013-10-27
Packaged: 2017-12-30 15:50:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1020526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steamcraft/pseuds/Steamcraft
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles time travels and sees his mother again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	leave me (hanging on the future)

 

There's someone kneeling by her son when Claudia pulls up to the school. She parks and gets out of the jeep because they don't look like a teacher and the high school students haven't been released yet.

"Okay, here's Mom," the guy says when Claudia gets closer. "Make sure you do your homework. Give Scott your chocolate pudding tomorrow because its his favorite."

"But its my favorite, too," Stiles says, nose scrunching.

"But nothing says best friends forever like sharing your pudding cup, trust me. You can hold it over him forever."

"Hi," Claudia says and steps in between Stiles and the young man. She grabs her son's hand. "Thanks for waiting with my son."

The young man stands, and he stands a good several inches over Claudia. He looks her over, eyes literally sweeping every part of her face. Claudia thinks he looks familiar, but can't place him.

He looks like he's about to cry.

"Oh man, excuse me," he says, stepping back and wiping at his eyes.

"Who are you?" she asks, curious. He doesn't seem dangerous, regular stature and nowhere could he hide a weapon. She looks pass that, to his aura, and its perfectly normal.

If she has to, she'll use force, though.

Stiles shakes her hand. "Mommy, that's me." Claudia looks down at her son with confusion, then back at the young man with wide eyes when he says,

"Aw, hell, I forget I was terrible at keeping secrets."

She realizes what's familiar: the upturned nose, the deep corners of his mouth, her honey brown eyes on her son's face.

Her free hand slaps across her mouth to keep from swearing. Stiles watches her hopefully, and Claudia takes in a deep breath.

"In- in the jeep, boys," she decides firmly.

"Are you...?" Stiles asks, reaching out.

She pauses, studies her future son. "Can you drive? I don't think..." Because she seriously can't right now, not with her shaking hands, and not when she can't stop looking at him. He nods and Claudia goes to strap her _now_ son in the backseat, settles him with dinosaurs and army men.

"How old are you?" she asks when they're on the road.

"Twenty-two."

"So my journal--"

"Last year, yeah."

"But why here? Why come back? You should have known the danger," she chides. "Didn't I say anything?"

Stiles is silent but he wipes his eyes again, and Claudia's stomach drops. Claudia gave Alan her journal when Stiles was three and told him to pass it on to her son when he turned twenty-one if she wasn't around.

"Alan gave you the journal. How old were you?"

"Mom-"

"Don't you dare, child. How old were you?"

Stiles looks in the rearview mirror where five-year-old him sits playing with the toys.

"I was eight, Mom." She opens her mouth to ask, but he shakes his head. "It was a witch, I didn't know until I was eighteen. That's all you get to know. I'm sorry, Mom."

Claudia wipes her own eyes. "No. No, you're right. Let's not talk about that. I just... Was actually hoping to get you away from all that until you got my journal, then you could decide on your own if I was crazy or not."

Stiles gives a dry laugh as he pulls on to their street. "Scott was bitten when we were sixteen."

"Scott McCall? Stiles' Scott? Werewolf or vampire?"

The jeep swerves. "What the hell, vampires _exist_?" His voice squeaks at the end and gets her son's attention.

"Vampires are real?" Little Stiles' voice comes from the back. "Cool!"

"Was it willing? Was it a Hale?"

Stiles parks the jeep and helps his younger self get out of the backseat. Claudia wonders if she and John should try for another child. He tells him to go do his homework and they'll play games for a while afterwards.

Claudia goes straight for the kitchen to make a strong cup of tea while her son lingers around the living room, looking at all the pictures on the walls and mantle.

"What's changed?" She can't help but know.

"Everything," she hears him say quietly, and she makes two cups.

She feels saddened. Its almost too much to take in at once, to know she has less than three years left, to know her son will be mixed into the supernatural mess without any guidance.

Claudia pats the chair next to hers and sets the cup down. "Come sit, child."

Stiles exhales as he does, pulling closer next to her. He's grown out his hair a little more than her tastes like, but its good. She studies him thoroughly, checks for any unhealthiness.

"You're still human?"

Stiles grins. "Oh, yeah. Dad, too."

"Your father," and her heart drops again, "is he okay? Without...?"

Stiles swallows but nods. "Uh, yeah, he does just fine. The first year was tough and all your plants died (sorry), but he pulled out. Became Sheriff."

"Oh dear, more of an excuse to be a workaholic?" Stiles grins and she takes it as a yes. "When did he find out?"

"A little less than a year after Scott was bit," he says. "I tried to keep him out of it, but then he was kidnapped to use as a ritual sacrifice. He's okay though!" he hastily adds.

Claudia eyes him warily, then nods. "And Scott?"

Stiles gives another long exhale. "That's a long story. One that doesn't really start until... Next year, sometime."

She glances at the clock. "My time travel spells don't usually last long. When did you get to the school?" He would have another two hours at best, minutes at the worst.

"Not long before you got there. I'll make it brief."

He tells a story that starts with tragedy and carries more throughout, but things do get better. Claudia grips his hand in hers by the time he's done telling it.

"Please tell me how I can stay with you."

Stiles looks at her like its the only thing he wants to do. His voice croaks, "Don't ask me that, Mom. Please."

Claudia wants to be selfish, to know the time and date she crosses the witch, but she can't. She looks at her empty cup and stands.

"Would you like some more?" she asks as she pours the kettle.

"No thanks, I'm-"

The cup shatters against the floor and Claudia doesn't bother whirling around to the face an empty table. She looks to the ceiling and cries silently.

 

 

"...good?" Stiles looks down at his hands, blinks in the sudden darkness of night. His throat closes up, and all of a sudden he's wrapped up in Derek's arms. He grabs a hold of his shoulders, squeezes as he feels his frustration and sorrow build. Derek lets Stiles scream.

When Stiles resurfaces from Derek's shirt, he says, "I'm going to back again."

"You sure its a good idea?" Its not said in hopes to deter him from seeing his mother again, but out of honest concern about time traveling. "I can't tell where you'll land when you come back."

Stiles realizes they're outside the vet's for the first time. Scott and Deaton are at the door, watching. He waves a little to show that he's fine.

"Positive. We'll make me a dog tag, or something," he grins shakily. "Or use the GPS in my phone." He holds onto Derek for a moment longer before he pulls him inside to tell the group what happened. "I just want to see her again."

"I understand, Stiles."

And Stiles knows he does on a personal level.

**Author's Note:**

> I was really battling myself right before I posted, thinking if I should rewrite it all in Stiles' POV, but decided against it. Probably not for the best.
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://iblameitonmyadhd.tumblr.com) if you'd like someone to stop by~


End file.
